The Martinelli, Gregory of Tours, and the Construction of the Past in Carolingian Europe

This article investigates the construction of the past in Carolingian Europe by focusing on the ‘Martinelli’, a family of manuscripts that contain texts related to the cult of Martin of Tours (d. 397). The article focuses particularly on the presentation of the writings of Gregory of Tours (d. 594) within these manuscripts. Two codices are used as case studies: Berlin, ms Phillipps 1877 and Paris, BnF, ms Lat. 10848. This analysis sheds new light on when the earliest Martinellus was compiled, the reception of Gregory of Tours and the agency of scribes in shaping conceptions of the past in the Carolingian period.